June 3 I Friday

2 Chronicles 19-20

John 13:21-38

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”     —Romans 12:12

What is our first response when issues arise? When Nehemiah was faced with oppositions and threats from others while he was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he remained faithful to the task at hand because his first response to those problems was with prayer.

       Nehemiah prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads” (Nehemiah 4:4). Even when hostility arose repeatedly, Nehemiah’s reaction was to go to his knees praying to God. In fact, if we did a word study on “prayer” throughout the book of Nehemiah, we would find that Nehemiah was a man of prayer.

       Some of us may have an understanding of prayer as needing plentiful volume, intensity and urgency, as if enough people praying hard enough might somehow put enough pressure on God to get a response from Him. But prayer is not trying to persuade a reluctant God to do something. Prayer is simply an expression of our dependence on God and surrendering our situation into His hands. What Nehemiah did when he prayed was relay the situation to God. Even though the battle was against him, he took the battle and gave it to God.

       Paul tells us in the New Testament, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). There are some things in life that cause us anxiety, such as our personal life, family and work, but Paul encourages us to pray and give them up to God. It is possible to pray about our problems and still carry them as though they are still our own. We will know that we have released our problems to God when we see them as grounds to be thankful—not for the situation, but in the situation. This is why the language of trust is not “please,” but “thank You, I trust You.” Paul continues, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” 
(Philippians 4:7). There are three key phrases: give it to God, thank Him, and experience His peace.

       Despite opposition, Nehemiah and his men were able to complete rebuilding the wall in 52 days. Nehemiah tell us, “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realised that this work had been done with the help of our God” (Nehemiah 6:16). Whatever the battle may be for us today, may we bring it to God in prayer, with thanksgiving, and experience His peace.

Prayer: Lord God, You hear my prayers and my petitions. Thank You that I can surrender my circumstances into Your hands, and that I can trust in You to act on my behalf. Praise You!